What’s the goal of prayer?

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I know in Eastern Orthodoxy imagination and mental ecstasy’s of figures like Teresa of Avila and Faustina are pretty discouraged. I’m confused on what the goal is then if not ecstasy or how to pray in general with no mental images. Any help would be great 🙂
 
Ecstasy is not something you should aim for in Latin Rite Catholicism, either. In fact you should not desire such special revelations. God may give them to you as He pleases.

Pray out of the love of God, for love of neighbors (very much related to the love the God), and to be changed by Him for Him, in Him.
 
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The goal of prayer in the Eastern perspective is quite simple: To acquire the Holy Spirit.
 
🤔 The Holy Spirit comes to the soul in Baptism & Chrismation. He dwells in the person who is in the state of sanctifying grace, so how can one “acquire” Him since He already dwells in the person?
 
And yet, if you go into an Eastern Catholic church you will be overwhelmed with icons.
 
Saints like Macarius the Great, Theophan the Recluse, and Seraphim of Sarov all talk about either “acquiring” the Holy Spirit, or how the Holy Spirit lies dormant in the soul after baptism and chrismation (using language that is surprisingly similar to what I encountered in the Catholic charismatic renewal). And even St. Paul makes a distinction between those who are baptized, but are still living as though they’ve not been baptized, and those who live “life in the Spirit.”

They are varied ways of saying basically the same thing.
 
I pray in some cases to get things off my chest without making a fool about myself amongst my friends. I’ve released some feelings and emotions by asking for the intercession of saints for problems within my own family especially. I pray for my daughter to be watched over in my absence because I forfeited my rights to her and now can’t legally be there in her life. I pray for my guardian angel to pray in my stead because I believe often my words are complicated in praying and the corrections can be made by them. I pray for all sorts of things there are places you can’t be, people you can’t help, and problems many people face that you just wish would go away. So, pray and you are letting go and letting god.
 
Jragzz123 said:
I’m confused on what the goal is then if not ecstasy or how to pray in general with no mental images.
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The basic goal of prayer is to acquire good relationship with God… Indeed, such good relationship with God is constant prayer without ceasing… In the end, it comes to be almost an attitude of prayer, often expressed in the term “humility”… It is an inclination toward God, so if you awaken in the night, you find yourself inclined toward God… So when you awaken in the morning, the first thing you do upon awakening, even before you open your eyes, is you make the Sign of the Cross… Where your first thoughts are toward God, where He is never far from your sight…

And it begins - Or it is discipled to begin - by saying quietly the Jesus Prayer and other short prayers constantly throughout the day and night as you go about your business of labors… It results in the acquisition of a Holy Life, utterly God-centered and the loving of all mankind… And this increases across one’s life in this praxis of the Faith of Christ…

You can pray before an icon of Christ if you wish, and gaze upon it as you are praying, but the Kingdom of Heaven is within you, and turning inward as you pray with stillness of heart and mind through the obstructions you will find on this narrow path is the Royal Way to be prayed in one’s ascent toward God across a lifetime, as one’s very means of living…

Visualizing is for the world, and can be useful for the world, but the Kingdom of God is not of this world, so abide in stillness of soul and call on the Name of the Lord…

geo
 
CatholicSpirit said:
I pray in some cases to get things off my chest without making a fool about myself amongst my friends. I’ve released some feelings and emotions by asking for the intercession of saints for problems within my own family especially. I pray for my daughter to be watched over in my absence because I forfeited my rights to her and now can’t legally be there in her life. I pray for my guardian angel to pray in my stead because I believe often my words are complicated in praying and the corrections can be made by them. I pray for all sorts of things there are places you can’t be, people you can’t help, and problems many people face that you just wish would go away. So, pray and you are letting go and letting god.
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May God bless your walk, my friend… You are doing well in your prayers… When you can’t be there, pray… When you can be there, pray…

geo
 
Thanks for your kind words George720! If anything new to pray for comes to mind I am mindful of praying on it.
 
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